Tasted Ina! Enjoy Nagano Prefecture's B-Grade Gourmet "Lo Men" at Chinese Style Cuisine Manri!

  • Nagano
  • Eating

B-Grade Gourmet in Ina area

Lo mein. It is a B-class gourmet dish from the Ina region of Nagano Prefecture, consisting of mutton (mutton) and steamed, medium-thick Chinese noodles simmered in a unique broth with cabbage and other ingredients. It is said to have been created in 1955 at the Chinese Restaurant Manri in Ina City. It was originally named "Char Lo Men" (stir-fried meat noodle), but the "Char" was gradually removed and it became known as "Lo Men" (noodles) today.

It varies from restaurant to restaurant!

The appearance of lo-men and its name may remind many people of ramen. In fact, there are two types of ramen, one with soup (like ramen) and the other without soup (like yakisoba), and the way to eat ramen varies from restaurant to restaurant.
This time, I had lo-men with soup at the Chinese-style restaurant Manri, which is said to be the origin of this dish, and I would like to introduce how to eat it!

Let's go in search of "lo-men" at Chinese-style restaurant Manri!

Exterior view
It takes about 8 minutes on foot from JR Ina-shi Station. The Chinese Restaurant Manri is located in an alley off the Tenryugawa River. The brick building with a red curtain creates a tasteful atmosphere.
Inside the store
Once inside, you get the impression of an old-fashioned Chinese restaurant, and the brick building creates a unique atmosphere. There are both counter seats and tatami room seats, so it is easy to come in alone or in a group.
After taking a seat at the counter, I immediately ordered a "lo-men". The sound of food being prepared echoing from the kitchen in the back makes the waiting time a pleasant one.
A few minutes later, the dish is brought out on a plate so large that you can see it from your seat.
Plenty of noodles, vegetables, and soup!
It is a huge amount of food. This is definitely enough to fill you up.
After all, it looks like ramen. Although there is not much smell, the color of the soup and the steamy air in the air are very appetizing. I immediately started to eat it!
One bite and "Hmm?
It tastes... sweet. And a little thin...? It is true that the lack of smell may be due to the thinness of the soup.
I looked at the table and saw a piece of paper.
This is how to eat lo mein.
There was a note on how to eat lo mein. There were indeed many condiments on the table. I felt a little sorry to add seasonings to a dish I had taken the trouble to prepare, but I decided to follow the instructions to the letter.
First, a dash of sauce and vinegar. You can now taste the saltiness of the sauce in the lo mein. The sourness of the vinegar can be felt in it. This will be refreshing!
The remaining sesame oil, shichimi (seven spice) chili, and grated garlic are optional. I decided to add them one by one. First, the sesame oil. The moment you pour it on, its distinctive aroma will whet your appetite. If you want a little fatty taste and want to eat it with gusto, you may want to pour more. Next, add shichimi togarashi (seven spice). Here, too, you can smell the good aroma of shichimi. The spiciness is added here for the first time. It was my first experience to enjoy various tastes in one dish. Finally, a little grated garlic. I don't have to tell you this, but I have nothing but "Delicious!" after adding the garlic. There is nothing else to say. I couldn't help but exclaim it out loud.
There is still more lo mein to be served on the large plate. Enjoy table cooking the rest to your own taste. I added more sauce, a little more sesame oil, and a dash of shichimi (seven spice) to accent my favorite lo mein. I was very satisfied because I was full and could take the last bite with my favorite flavor!
My impression was, as written in the delicious way of eating lo-men, "Umai Ina (Ina) lo-men, maisi Ina (Ina) lo-men" (lol).

Ina (Ina) lo-men I've had as many times as I want.

As a B gourmet dish from the Ina region, I would definitely like to try it once. But the interesting thing about lo-men is that once you eat it, you will want to eat it again. Even though I make it myself, it is extremely difficult to make it taste the same every time. Please enjoy the ramen of Ina at Chinese Restaurant Manri, changing the flavor to your liking depending on your mood of the day.
We recommend the JR East View Dynamic Rail Package for travel to Minami Shinshu!
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